Burning Fire ✔️

Chapter twenty eight

Annie's p.o.v

It had been two months since I had talked to my mom about my nightmares. My relationship with Alex had been going strong. He was perfect.

“Good morning, princess!” Alex came into the kitchen full of energy dressed in casual attire.

“Good morning dumb-dumb!” I greeted cutting the banana bread Luisa had made for breakfast.

“Did you make this?” he asked before taking a slice.

“No, Luisa did. It's tradition!” My voice lowered.

“What's the occasion?”

“It's my dad's birthday!” I inhaled deeply.

“Well, this is delicious!” he tried to lift up the mood and I smiled.

“Where's Angela?” Shawn asked, sitting down.

“She left for work,” I informed him.

She had quit the job at the company after finding out that Shawn had practically gotten the job for her and had found an opening at some company not too far from here.

“Princess, do you have plans for today?” Alex asked.

“No, I don't! Why?”

“I have to go somewhere and I would like for you to accompany me,” He smiled.

“What's the dress code?”

“Pizza printed pajamas,” He grinned and I shook my head.

He would never forget those pajamas.

“You can always wear my shirts,” he reminded me.

“You can always get a room,” Shawn mocked and we flipped him the finger.

“You could use one actually. The blue from down there is showing on your face,” Alex smirked at him.

“Well not everyone has a girlfriend that can work from home,” Shawn sighed.

“But you do have a brain that you could use sometimes,” Alex grabbed another slice from the banana bread.

“You still haven't fixed things?” I asked.

“We have, but I still feel guilty about how right she was,” he sighed.

“Why are you all so grumpy today? It's Mister Carson's birthday; a happy day. He would want us to be happy!” Luisa scolded us without knowing the reason why we were in a bad mood.

“Luisa, this bread is amazing! You should make it again some other time,” Alex praised her and she smiled.

“How about I teach the recipe to your girlfriend?” she winked at me.

“That would be perfect!” Alex grinned.

“Dude, chill out; you must ask for permission before you wife her up!” Shawn warned.

“I will, when the time is right!” Alex nodded seriously.

“Remember; you have a lot of people you need to impress before you put a ring on her finger!” Jack spoke from his seat at the end of the table.

“What are you doing there? You're my friend and my bodyguard! Your seat is next to me!” I scolded him.  

“I know! It's just that I'm waiting for someone to arrive,” he kept glancing at his watch.

“For your sake, I hope that someone is me!” Ricky came in filling the air with his flower-scented perfume.

“It's always you!” Jack's eyes lit up when he saw him.

“They're so adorable: it hurts my eyes to watch them!” I whispered to Alex.  

“That is what true love looks like!” he smiled and I approved.

I kept grinning like a psycho as they teased and shamelessly flirted with each other.

“I should invest in hotels!” Shawn thought out loud.

As I looked around, I took note of the incredible people that were part of my life: Jack, a king; Ricky, my partner in crime; Luisa, the grandma I never got to meet; Shawn, the weird cousin you fight with but still think of one another as siblings; Alex, the fire to my gasoline, the one who I can be transparent with, the one who makes feel like I'm home; Angela, the sister I never had, my better half, the map to my home; mom, my guardian, the strongest woman I know, I wish I can be half of what she is.

The only person that was missing was my dad, my angel, the one who taught me that everyone could conquer the world if they worked hard enough. We parted too early… When would I join him?

“He's proud of you!” Alex spoke softly.

I was still amazed by his ability to see right through me, to read my mind with only one glance.

I knew from the amount of emotions I was feeling that something bad was going to happen soon.

Which one will you take now?

I asked Death as Alex caressed my hand.

“Let's get out of here! I want to show you something,” he stood up.

“Goodbye love birds!” Ricky yelled as we headed out.

∞∞∞

"I understand that you want to surprise me. I really appreciate it, but do I have to be blindfolded?" 

"Princess, do you trust me?" He asked.

"That's not fair!" 

"Then, take a deep breath and relax. Or you can sing me something!" By the way his voice sounded, I knew that he was grinning.

"Such a negotiator!" I rolled my eyes.

"I'm amazing, I know!" 

I let out a genuine laugh. He was still a toddler at heart. 

"What are you? Five years old?" I joked.

"Nah, I can't be five because if I was, then it would be illegal for us to date!" His business mode was on.

"This feels like deja vú!" I shook my head.

"Now that I think about it, how is it that we always end up driving away with each other?" 

"It may be because you always take my car!" I inhaled the familiar scent of leather and strawberries.

"Do you have strawberries in your car?" He asked sniffing around.

"Not the fruit, but I use a strawberry scented spray for the car. Why do you sound paranoid?" Was he afraid of them? Not that I would judge him or anyone for it, but I was curious.

"I'm allergic to strawberries: I can smell and be around them, but don't kiss me after you eat them." 

"I haven't eaten them in a while, if you're worried," I could feel his eyes lingering on me.

"Why do you keep teasing me? Do you enjoy my pain?" He quickly glanced at me.

"What if I do? What if I loved the way your eyes darken when you're angry or turned on? What if I loved how your jaw clenches when you get jealous?" I challenged him. "What would you do then?" 

"I would make you hate me," he whispered, referring to his dead ex-girlfriend. 

It was impossible to keep up with how many times the atmosphere changed between us. One moment we're teasing each other, you blink, and sadness has  invaded the place. But something was certain: we were both broken in our own ways. 

And Death was the cause of our state...